Rafael Nadal Beats John Millman in 1st Round of 2017 Wimbledon

Two-time champion Rafael Nadal eased into the second round of Wimbledon 2017 as he crushed Australian John Millman 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 on No. 1 Court in his opening encounter on Monday.

The Spaniard wasted no time in getting his nose in front on his return to the SW19 grass for the first time since 2015.

He broke Millman in the first game of the match and never looked in any real trouble as he dispatched his opponent in just over one hour and 40 minutes. 

Nadal will now face American Donald Young in the next round as he looks to continue his excellent form in 2017 having already finished runner-up at the Australian Open and won the French Open.

Nadal, 31, missed last year's tournament due to a wrist injury and went into Monday's first-round clash having played little grass-court tennis in the build-up.

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However, he showed no rust against Millman, producing some stunning groundstrokes and showing excellent touch around the court.

He raced to the first set, dropping just one game and producing a crushing crosscourt forehand to seal the opener.

Millman got a foothold in the second set as he held well for 1-1, and he then managed to break back after Nadal took a 3-1 lead.

However, relentless hitting from the No. 4 seed saw him edge ahead again, another big forehand winning Nadal the second set and putting him within touching distance of the second round, per ESPN Stats & Info:

A combination of power and finesse then saw Nadal break at the start of the third and, although Millman battled hard and got his own break in the sixth game to get back to 4-2, there was to be no stopping the 15-time Grand Slam champion on Monday.

His power and placement were simply too much for world No. 137 Millman, who has now fallen in the first round in each of his last three Grand Slam appearances.